712 Birds, 712 People: A Celebration of the ʻAlae ʻUla

With only 712 individuals remaining, the ʻAlae ʻUla, also known as the Hawaiian Common Gallinule or Hawaiian Moorhen, is one of the rarest birds in the United States. This year, conservationists, educators, and students across Hawaiʻi are coming together to celebrate this endangered subspecies and raise awareness about what it will take to ensure its future.

Helen Raine discusses conservation efforts for Hawaiʻi’s endangered ʻAlae ʻUla. Image courtesy of Helen Raine.

The ʻAlae ʻUla (Gallinula galeata sandvicensis) is an endemic form of Common Gallinule. Once widespread across the Hawaiian islands, the species now persists in scattered wetlands on Oʻahu and Kauaʻi. The most recent statewide survey estimated the population at just 712 birds, a sobering number.

“Our main objective with the ʻAlae ʻUla campaign this year is to raise awareness of the plight of the bird and encourage people to celebrate it,” says Helen Raine of Pacific Birds and coauthor of the ABA Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaiʻi. Raine also hopes “to stimulate funding, interest, and support at a national level” as well as “inspire residents and visitors to make a difference by not feeding feral cat colonies, keeping cats indoors and dogs on a leash, and supporting nonprofits and other organizations that are working hard to create and maintain the right habitat.”

Rather than focusing solely on decline, the campaign’s organizers hope that highlighting both the possibility of recovery as well as how residents and visitors alike can make that recovery a reality will make the campaign effective. One of the campaign’s most ambitious events is scheduled for later this year on Kauaʻi. Students and faculty from local schools will gather to form the shape of an ʻAlae ʻUla from above. The goal is to have 712 participants representing the 712 birds believed to remain in the wild. Organizers plan to capture the event with drone photography and video, creating a striking visual reminder of just how few Hawaiian Gallinules remain.

The challenges facing the ʻAlae ʻUla are familiar to many island birds. Wetland loss and degradation have reduced available habitat, while introduced predators like feral cats, dogs, rats, and mongooses continue to threaten the bird.

Fortunately, conservationists also know many of the solutions. Protected wetlands, predator management, and community support are effective. Members of the public can help by keeping cats indoors, keeping dogs leashed around sensitive habitats, avoiding feeding feral cat colonies near wetlands, and supporting organizations working to restore and protect Hawaiian wetlands like Pacific Birds and Hawaiʻi Audubon Society.

The story of the ʻAlae ʻUla is ultimately about more than a single bird. Hawaiʻi has five endangered endemic waterbirds: the ʻAlae ʻUla, ʻAlae Keʻokeʻo or Hawaiian Coot, Aeʻo or Hawaiian Stilt, Koloa Maoli or Hawaiian Duck, and Nēnē (plus a sixth if counting the Laysan Duck). Protecting ʻAlae ʻUla with predator control and a healthy network of wetlands and habitat will uplift each of these birds along with other native wildlife. They are also very important culturally, featuring in a host of moʻolelo or legends that have been passed down through generations and connect the Hawaiian people with the ʻāina (land).

Helen Raine of Pacific Birds meets with the governor of Hawaiʻi, Josh Green, to talk about the ʻAlae ʻUla. Image courtesy of Helen Raine.

For birders visiting Hawaiʻi, the ʻAlae ʻUla is a rewarding endemic bird to encounter because unlike many of the islands’ rare forest birds, which often require travel to remote mountain habitats, Hawaiian Common Gallinules can be found in accessible wetlands, on golf courses, in rivers and streams and even in hotel grounds, offering birders an easier opportunity for connecting with one of the state’s most important conservation stories.

Pacific Birds hopes that connection will inspire action. After all, when a species numbers only 712 individuals, every bird matters. When every bird matters, every person can help make a difference.